101 Places To See
by Allonswin
Summary: Shortly after being left by Martha, the Doctor finds a book titled '101 Places to See' left on a bench in Chiswick, London. He can't help but want to return it to its rightful owner. (Ten & Clara)


For once in London, the sky was a bright blue, with only a few puffy, white clouds dotting it.

The air was warm, but there was a relatively cool breeze to balance it and make it a perfect day. The Doctor walked along the sidewalk, glancing around the area with his hands shoved into his pockets. The wind tugged at his hair, messing it up more than it already was. For once, he was having a calm day. A day where he wasn't rushing about the universe, blowing things up and running from danger.

Instead, he'd landed the TARDIS in Chiswick, London. He'd been here a few times in this regeneration, but never to the park. It was well kept, the sidewalk newly paved, and the grass was cut and a deep green. There were few trees in the area, but the ones that did stand tall were crowded with children who scrambled up the trunks, swinging playfully from the branches whilst their parents yelled for them to get down.

Off to the right of the Doctor was a playground, containing a swing set, a slide, monkey bars, and a seesaw. Closer to him was a park bench. Strolling towards it, he plopped down, rubbing his hands over his face with a long sigh. He tried to enjoy a proper day off, he really did, but with as many thoughts swirling around in his head, it was a bit difficult.

He leaned back on the bench, slumping down, his eyes hooded. His heart felt heavy. It had been three days and counting since Martha had left and Astrid had died because of him. This was the first time he'd left the TARDIS. Which, in all honesty, was stupid of him. He needed not to be alone, just as a certain feisty ginger had once told him. However, the thought of finding someone new to travel with frightened him, in a way. He was scared of being abandoned again, scared of having his hearts broken. It seemed to him that as long as he didn't travel with anyone, that wouldn't happen.

Wrinkling his nose, his dismissed the thoughts from his mind, crossing his arms over his chest and looking to his side. Something caught the corner of his eyes, and he glanced down, sitting up straight again as he reached for the item. It was a book. The cover was a light gray with a pattern that almost looked woven, yet not quite. The words '_101 Places to See_' was scrawled across the top in fancy yellow and red letters. Below that, a globe. At the very top and bottom of the cover were two thick, elaborate stripes.

He carefully lifted up the cover and peered inside, his eyes scanning the cardboard cover. 'Clara Oswald' was scrawled across the top in messy handwriting. Below that was a long string of numbers, most of which were crossed out. The final one was 22, which remained without a line through it. Ages, he guessed. His eyes drifted to the opposite side. A large leaf was lying on the page. Gently, he picked it up. He held it up in front of his face, twirling it between his fingers as he examined it curiously. It was clearly rather old; it felt brittle between his fingers. He set it down, then closed the cover. "Well, Clara," he mumbled, picking himself up from the bench and tucking the book into his inner breast pocket (which just so happened to be bigger on the side), "you're probably missing this, eh?"

His eyes scanned the area, briefly wondering if 'Clara' was still around. However, the only humans around were smaller children. The numbers on the inside had gone into the twenties, so if he was correct, and he usually was with those sort of things, then Miss. Oswald was older. The Doctor bit his lip uncertainly. How was he supposed to locate this woman? His gaze drifted to the children playing on one of the nearby trees. Well... it certainly wouldn't hurt to try.

He strode forward, hands in his pockets once more. He paused once he reached the base of the trees. One of the children, a little girl with long, brown hair glanced down at him from a branch.

"Hello!" He chirped, grinning at her.

"Hello," the girl replied, cocking her head curiously.

"I was just wondering... well, would you happen to know a Clara Oswald?"

The girl smiled widely, nodding. "Clara is Angie and Artie's nanny," she said, reaching for the trunk of the tree. The Doctor stepped back, allowing her to climb down. Once she was on her feet, she turned back to him.

"Brilliant! You wouldn't happen to know where she lived, would you? I've got something of hers, you see."

The girl nodded again, pointing over to her left. The Doctor glanced sideways, arching an eyebrow. "She lives just down that street. It's the taller one, with the pretty roof and the latch window. They have a pretty glass door."

The Doctor grinned and nodded. "Alright, thank you."

The girl simply shrugged, then darted off, towards a group of children. The Doctor watched her go with a smirk, then turned around, heading off in the direction the girl had pointed him. He watched each house closely, trying his best to match the child's description. Finally, he stopped in front of a house, looking it up and down. Out of all the houses on the street, it was this particular house that matched the description. The glass door, the roof, and the small latch window off to the side. Pursing his lips, the Doctor took the book from his pocket, running his thumb over the cover.

After a few minutes of studying the house, he walked to the front door, attempting to peer inside. The pattern in the glass, however, prevented him from doing that. He quickly knocked on the door, then stepped back, folding his arms behind his back, hiding the book as he rocked back on his heels. He glanced around, impatience prickling at his skin. He could hear someone coming down the stairs, but they walked incredibly slowly.

After what seemed like hours, someone opened the door, and the Doctor felt his heart sink at the sight. A young woman, probably in her twenties, stood in front of him, her eyes puffy and red. She'd clearly been crying. Her shoulder length brown hair was a bit scraggly, as if she had been sobbing into a pillow. She sniffed, straightening her posture. "Yeah?" She mumbled, wiping a tear from her cheek.

The Doctor stared at her for a few seconds until she snapped at him. He blinked in surprise, shaking his head. "Oh, uh, would you be Clara Oswald, by any chance?"

The woman frowned and nodded, looking him up and down in confusion, as if she were trying to remember if she knew him. "Yeah? Who are you?"

"I'm... I found this in the park. I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it belongs to you." He pulled the book out from behind his back, holding it out to her. As soon as Clara realized what he was holding, she gasped and leapt forward, her arms locking around his neck. He stiffened for a second, taken by surprise, and he stumbled backwards a pace. He quickly relaxed, wrapping his arms around her and letting out a laugh. She broke away after a few seconds, gently taking the book from him, her eyes alight. "Oh my stars," she breathed. The Doctor grinned at the unique saying, and he briefly wondered who she had picked it up from. "Thank you so much, I... I... thank you."

"Anytime, Clara."

He turned to leave, but she stepped forward, gripping his upper arm to stop him. "Wait! Do you some tea or something?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but stopped. For some reason, he felt it would be better to accept her offer. Plus, it wasn't like he'd be harming anyone or anything by staying for a few minutes. "Sure." He smiled, following Clara as she led him inside her home. Upstairs, he could hear children arguing. Clara rolled her eyes, but didn't stop to tell them off. She led him through the house to the kitchen, where she motioned for him to sit down. He scooted the chair back and took a seat, propping his feet up on the wooden table. Clara had her back turned, pouring hot water into mugs. She plopped two tea bags into the mugs, then took out the sugar.

"Do you like..." she turned to face him, her face falling in surprise when she saw the position he had taken. He stared at her for a few seconds, unsure of what he was doing wrong. _Rude_, he reminded himself, dropping his feet from the table and sitting up straight. "Sugar..." she finally finished. She gave him an odd look, then went back to making the tea.

"Yeah," he said, smiling sheepishly, although she couldn't see his face. Clara nodded, dumping a small spoonful of sugar into the tea. She mixed it up a bit, then turned back to him, sliding the cup across the table towards him and plopping down in the chair opposite from him. He caught the cup, pulling the chair closer to the table.

For a few minutes, they sat in an awkward silence, occasionally taking sips of their tea. The Doctor looked her over over the top of his mug. Her hair looked normal now; she must have run a brush through it when he wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were bright and happy and tipped with curiosity. She had a bit of a quirky nose, but really, she was quite pretty. Plus, to add to it, she smelled deliciously like strawberries. She flashed him a small smile, and then leaned forward, pushing her cup of tea to the side.

"So, where'd you find it?" She asked, cocking her head. The Doctor placed his own cup down, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was in the park. On the bench."

"Oh." She frowned, raising an eyebrow. "That's odd. I though I had looked there, but..." she trailed off, shrugging.

"Does it mean something to you?"

"What?"

"The book."

"Yeah. I mean, it belonged to my mum, and she gave it to me. She passed a while ago..."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Clara shrugged, bringing her tea back in front of her and rubbing her fingers around the edges, dragging her fingernails across the glass. She wore a ring on one of her fingers. Had that belonged to her mother as well? "So," he took a quick sip of his tea, "do you like to travel?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah. I haven't actually been travelling, but I mean, I'd like to. I was going to, I just got... caught up."

The Doctor frowned, arching an eyebrow. "With being a nanny?" Clara shrugged, looking a bit awkward. "You don't look like someone who should be a nanny, Clara Oswald."

This time, it was Clara's turn to frown. "What's that meant to mean?"

"It means you should be out there, travelling! Because it's _beautiful_, Clara, it is, it's gorgeous. And I would know."

"I've had opportunities..."

He gave her a small, curious smile, tilting her head. "Then why didn't you take them?"

Clara's reply was cut off by an angry yell from upstairs, quickly followed by a crash. A look of annoyance crossed her face and she jumped to her feet. "Angie! Artie!" She glanced at him, sighing. "Hold on." She hurried from the room, skipping stairs as she dashed up them. The Doctor chuckled, glancing around the room. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the newspaper on the table. He leaned forward, picking it up and flipping it to the front page.

_Adipose Industries Hits It Big!_ read the headline. He looked over the article, frowning. "Bit odd that," he mumbled to himself. "I'll have to check it out." He laid it down again, looking around the room and chewing on his lip. After a few minutes, he stood up, wandering aimlessly around the kitchen. He flipped through a book titled _'Summer Falls_', then added a bit more sugar to his tea.

"Sorry!"

The Doctor looked up, smiling as Clara entered the room again, looking out of breath. She shook her head, sighing. "They fight a lot."

"Kids do." He smiled, turning around and jumping up to sit on the counter. Clara did the same, sitting a ways away from him. She looked down at her hands, which she had clasped together in her lap.

"Seriously though," she looked at him, her hair swishing with the sudden turn of her head. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost that book. It means the earth to me."

"No problem," he replied, smiling. He pursed his lips, running a hand through his hair. "I should probably be going," he said, hopping down from the counter. Clara nodded, jumping down as well.

"What was your name again?" She asked. The Doctor paused uncertainly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"The Doctor."

She flashed him an odd look, but much to his disappointment, she didn't ask the question that he was oh so used to. Instead, she shook her head, chuckling. "Alright," she laughed. "You should drop by sometime?"

The Doctor flashed her a look that more than likely came off rather sad. "I think it's probably better I don't."

Clara's face dropped, clearly disappointed. "Oh... okay. Yeah." She shrugged. He felt a pang in his heart, faintly regretting telling her no. Seeing the look on her face as she glanced at the ground made him want to drag her off to see the stars; and he nearly did. He nearly let the words spill from his lips, although if he had said them, she wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about. Clara was innocent and a normal human. She had no idea about the wonders of the universe, no idea about just how dangerous it could be. And he didn't want to ruin that.

So instead, he let her walk him to the front door, thanking him all the way. He nodded in response, stepping outside and waving at her. He could feel her gaze burning into his back as he left. The Doctor forced himself not to look behind him, in fear he'd blurt out the question that had settled in his head.

_Do you want to come with me?_

He made himself focus on anything other than her gaze. The scraping of his converse as he walked, the rustling of the leaves on the trees. Annoyingly enough, his mind kept wandering back to Clara. He wanted to change his mind more than anything. There was something about Clara; something brilliant and amazing. However, he couldn't quite put a finger on what it was. She would be an amazing companion. An amazing friend. The problem was, he didn't want to ruin another person's life. He didn't want his hearts torn again, either.

After a few moments, he risked a glance behind him, clenching his jaw. Clara's door was shut. He felt a pang in his chest and quickly turned to face forward once again, his brow furrowed. He couldn't go back now, anyway; it was far too late. He paused where he was, straightening his back and taking a deep breath. "Right," he sniffed, looking around the neighborhood until his eyes landed on the big blue box parked on the street corner. His heart swelled and he strode forward, pulling his key from his pocket.

He sprung into the TARDIS, chuckling under his breath. The door closed gently behind him. Bounding up to the center console, he quickly typed in the coordinates, resting his hands on the buttons and switches. It always surprised him, how right it felt to be piloting his ship. Even after nine hundred years of time in space, it never bored him. "Adipose Industries - _Adipose_, odd name."

He slammed down the lever and the TARDIS tugged into the motion, sending him stumbling to the side. He slipped back towards the console, pulling the monitor up to him. He couldn't change his mind and go back for Clara, as much as he wanted to. However, Donna had been right. He shouldn't be alone, and he knew that he certainly shouldn't be sulking all alone in the TARDIS. He needed someone to travel with. And Clara? Well... he may just come back for her, one day.


End file.
